Re: FCPX is taking longer to edit than FCP7

Hey Trig,

I see you learn very quick if you get the correct information. But starting with FCP X from scratch on multicam projects, and with hardware that is probably not optimal for running a 64-bit program in multicam with native camera footage, may be not the best thing you can do. Most people learn FCP X step by step while they continue to work with FCP7 for some time.

So I would advise you to use FCP7 for your current multicam work and at the same time learn FCP X with a decent basic training video. I know a lot of people who, just like us, do very complex multicam jobs in FCP X without any issues. That's why I'm sure your issues are not related to the application.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Wow, that is quite an image and bolsters the future of X in my case.

Every one of my jobs are multicam work with 3 or 4 cameras and am really anxious to learn the correct workflow for multicam in X.

Ronny, do you know anything about the DROBO 5D array I purchased?(http://www.drobo.com/storage-products/5d/)?
I have two 3Tb drives that are SSD hybrid. DROBO has redundancy built into it so I don't have drive lose issues.

But, now that I have a new 3 cam job loaded, there are still lagging issues that I don't know are normal or not. When I open the timeline, it takes an extreme amount of time for the audio waveform to show up. And, not until it is complete, can I see the adjustments I make on the level line to show up in the waveform. This is annoying, because it starts the regenerating process all over again when I zoom in on the timeline. I can't get any work done that way.

Thanks Ronny,
Trig

There are many good tutorials for working with FCP X in multicam. From Ripple Training, Larry Jordan, Linda.com a.s.o...

The waveform redraw lag is a known issue with extremely long clips. Closing the Inspector while working with audio on such long clips will usually help. But it is an issue, and it should be fixed in a next update.

Best wishes,

Ronny

I don't know the Drobo array, but if it is striped to RAID it's quite logical that you cannot put two cameras on the one and two on the other drive. RAID creates one single instance from the drives. A 2-drive RAID system with redundancy isn't any faster than a single drive, but it offers data protection. You only will see important speed gains with RAID arrays that have at least 4 to 6 fast drives, like the Promise Thunderbolt arrays. Like a friend of mine (Bob Zelin) always says: there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Multicam is far more demanding than regular editing, and drive speeds are always the biggest bottleneck in this case. SSD's are not any faster than HDD's for editing, in fact they are worse. When we put together 16- or 24-drive RAID arrays for collaborative editing we never, ever use SSD drives.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny,

Would files from this array work faster if I used the thunderbolt connection instead of the USB3?
What type of drive should I purchase to make use the thunderbolt speed?

Trig

Although Thunderbolt is 2x faster than USB3 you won't get much better performance with editing via Thunderbolt off this array. You need an array with at least 4 RAID-striped 7.200 rpm drives to really benefit from Thunderbolt speed.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Can you direct me to that type of array and drive I would need to purchase?

Keep those best wishes coming,
Trig

Oh yes, I forgot. As I said before: if you are working with .mts files just optimizing the files to ProRes will already make a big difference in speed, even on your current drive.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny, it seems like I get all my cursing done when I think everything is imported and the timeline plays bad. Then, I come back the next day and it plays fine. What process is happening after the importing is done that makes the difference.

I am going to order the Pegasus2 R4 8TB, if they take the Drobo back at B&H.

When you import clips in FCP X you immediately can start working with them, even if they are not fully imported yet. FCP X will continue to process the files in the background. But depending on the speed of your computer this background processing may also affect your editing performance. For projects on very tight deadlines and with short clips such as news reports this feature is a godsend. But with very long clips and with projects that require a lot of horse-power such as multicam work, it is best to let FCP X do all the processing and only then start editing.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Ronny, do you write any books on FCPX? You write so eloquently and precisely. Someone could probably filter out all your entries on Ken's Discussion and organize them into a book. Ken would have the rights to it though.

Trig

Hi Trig,

Not true. People who post to this board do NOT loose their rights to what they have written.

--ken

Everyone is free to do with my texts whatever they want. As long as it helps Final Cut pro users.

Best wishes,

Ronny